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Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier
3348 messages, Last post on Oct 31, 2011 at 3:14 PM
You are in the Ford Explorer Forum.What is this discussion about? Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, SUV
#1988 of 3348 Re: Rollovers? [nvbanker] by wijoco
Aug 29, 2004 (10:12 am)
Replying to: nvbanker (Aug 28, 2004 8:11 pm)
"Secondly - it seems almost like a witch hunt on Ford. I'm at a loss as to why, but Ford sure seems to be singled out more than anyone else." Because such a large percentage of their sales are SUVs. And of course we all have already agreed that the SUV is The Single Greatest Threat To The Planet. Therefore, it's perfectly acceptable to use fear-mongering tactics to try to stall SUV sales. The ends justify the means, of course.
Trevor Hoffman should be reprimanded by his employer for that article. To start, the title is an outright lie.
"NHTSA Rates Ford SUVs Poorly For Rollovers."
The NHTSA rated the SPORT TRAC poorly (2/5 stars), not the whole Explorer line! The Sport Trac is based on the old Explorer design and is a very small percentage of Explorer sales. Yet, there are three different photos of the Sport Trac in that article, as if it represented the Explorer line.
These two links show the actual NHTSA data sheets on 2004 models. Compare the data to the intent of the article.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2004SUVs.html
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/RollRatings.cfm
Huh? The Explorer gets three stars in the rollover combined testing, equal to most of the other trcuk-frame RWD SUVs? But that's not what Our Man Trevor said? I'm confused!
(I assume the inclusion of the Mazda RX-8 as the most rollover resistant vehicle is kind of like the streaker running across the stage of a Shakespearean play? Is that news? Do we all rush out to buy $35,000 sports cars now for safety?)
Hoffman even gets the link wrong at the end of the article: it's "www.safercar.gov". Nice "journalism."
Now check out the dubious quality of the NHTSA data. On the second link page listed above, the Mountaineer and Explorer 2 and 4WD ratings are botched. You have to click the links to interpret the correct ratings because they mislabeled them on the main page. (The 2WD version is 6 percentage points worse than the 4WD). They use different terminology on the chart to mean the same thing (tip-up/tip and no-tip-up/no-tip), which is pretty sloppy. Check the asterisk beside the "no-tip*" rating on passenger cars. They didn't actually do the test!!! It is assumed based on lab measurements! Granted, most passenger cars won't tip under their test, but wouldn't it be more "scientific" to leave it N/A rather than post results of a test never done?
Now let's consider what they omit. For whatever reasons, I don't know, budget constraints or lack of manufacturer cooperation, the NHTSA doesn't test all vehicles. Only one Nissan SUV was tested (the car-based Murano), and one Toyota. BTW, check out the ratings for the Tacoma in the pickups section. Hmmm...that wasn't mentioned in the article? No other Ford SUVs beside the Explorer and Sport Trac are tested. Check out the minivans section...FOUR? My point is, how can any analytical piece of journalism make qualifying claims of "best" or "worst" based on data that is so very incomplete? Not very well.
#1990 of 3348 can we all drive miatas? by mschmal
Aug 30, 2004 (10:48 am)
the cars most resistant to roll overs are the Mazda Miata and RX-8....obviously not practicle for all.Mark
#1991 of 3348 Re: a deal for 04 Explorer Limited? [atlantis2000] by dan1
Aug 30, 2004 (2:29 pm)
Replying to: atlantis2000 (Aug 29, 2004 12:55 am)
We just purchased an 03 Explorer Limited with 12k on it. It has everything you mentioned and also the DVD sytem. We paid aroung $26,500 with taxes. You might be able to get them down. The EB's are nice to but my wife didn't care for the two tone seats. Either way you will be happy with the truck.
#1992 of 3348 Re: a deal for 04 Explorer Limited? [atlantis2000] by dan1
Aug 30, 2004 (2:31 pm)
Replying to: atlantis2000 (Aug 29, 2004 12:55 am)
Sorry just realized you are talking about an 04. I would go with the used Limited don't forget sales tax on a new vehicle will be a lot higher than a used.
#1993 of 3348 200,000 Miles by deejayh
Sep 03, 2004 (8:18 am)
Replying to: nvbanker (Mar 31, 2004 11:45 am)
My V6 '93 Explorer just rolled to 200,000. I purchased it from the original owner in '96 with 47,000. She lived on a really steep hill, which may have been the reason for the 78,000 mile transmission rebuild. It's been thousands of miles towing a 1,200 lb camper and has seen plenty of highway and city driving. The interior is getting a bit worn, but I'm ready to buy something newer. Perhaps an '02 Explorer.
#1994 of 3348 by nvbanker
Sep 04, 2004 (4:34 pm)
I still have my 94 Explorer with 140,000 miles on the original everything..... what a truck!#1995 of 3348 sirius sat radio by ls8
Sep 07, 2004 (11:38 am)
just purchased a new Eddie Bauer Explorer and it has a "SAT" button on radio faceplate. No one at dealer seems to know how/if I can get sat radio going. Call Sirius and activate, have dealer install kit, ?? anyone out there know?#1996 of 3348 You're kidding, right??? by nvbanker
Sep 07, 2004 (4:56 pm)
No one at the dealer knew how to hook up the Satellite ratio option? Unbelievable!#1997 of 3348 Sirius Radio by mschmal
Sep 08, 2004 (12:35 pm)
Just have a dealership or audio store install the Sat Radio Kit. you then subscribe i believe online.Mark
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